Had the congressional ladies (or rather Imelda invited them) for lunch and the congressmen came. Some senators attended like [Alejandro] Landring Almendras, Rene Espina, Mamintal Tamano, Lorenzo Tañada, Lorenzo Sumulong, Lorenzo Teves, [Dominador] Doming Aytona, Eva Estrada-Kalaw. Even the Liberal, [Justiniano] Montano and [John Henry] Sonny Osmeña, [Jose] Joe de Venecia [Jr.], [Raul?] Daza.
So I am calling a Nacionalista caucus of congressmen next Wednesday, the 15th.
Mr. Goto and daughter, President of Club 300 of Japan, came to pay a visit.
[Ramon] Monching Cojuangco and Chester Babst, the President of the Bankers’ Association, spoke of their concern about a general bank strike. But Sec. [Blas] Ople assured us that they could negotiate a settlement so I did not certify the Philippine Trust and Philippine Commercial Bank strikes to the CIR [Court of Industrial Relations].
Called the PSC [Public Service Commission] commissioners to tell them that one of the worst images in the government is that of the commission and they should do something about it; that in the Meralco case it is the talk of the town that they were bribed ([Enrique] Medina getting one million). They promised to clean up.
Have designated Com. [Gregorio] Panganiban as commissioner until the end of session unless sooner removed
Official Gazette for July 9, 1970: President Marcos discussed the current bank strikes with Secretary of Labor Blas F. Ople in the one conference he had the whole day; had a brief session with a European television reporter; and for a change of pace showed up as co-host at the luncheon given by the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, honoring senators and representatives and their ladies.
The rest of his regular day was spent on state papers, among which was the list of appointments he finalized and submitted to the Commission on Appointments, mostly filling vacancies in the judiciary.
The conference with Secretary Ople was also attended by Labor Relations Director Amado Inciong, Bankers Association President Chester Babst, and Philippine Bank of Commerce President Ramon Cojuangco.
Ople said that the drawn-out strikes in two Manila banks could be sooner settled if management and labor of the said establishments would only sit down and discuss their differences. The President asked him to expedite this conciliation talks.
A little after high noon, the President joined the First Lady and her-guests, composed of senators and representatives and their wives. Also at the luncheon were former President Carlos P. Garcia and Mrs. Garcia.
Early in the afternoon, the President received Dieter Seelman of Monitor Film-UND Fernsehproduktion, based in Humburg, Germany, who asked for an interview to be telecast on the program “Turning Point” The President acceded and submitted to a 30-minute taped session.
The rest of the day was devoted by the President to urgent state business, in the course of which he vested the Commission on National Integration with the sole authority to administer the 1,012 hectares of land reserved for the Higaonon tribes of Agusan, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.
Reappointed all the provincial fiscals and assistants by-passed by the commission.